1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and devices for use with machinery, structures and other loads for absorbing or dampening shocks and vibrations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Environmental vibrations and shocks can damage or degrade the performance of machinery and devices that are located on the floor of a plant, such as mchines for manufacture or testing of a product, or those on the rooftop of a building, such as antennae or heating and cooling units.
It is desirable to protect such machinery as much as possible from vibration and shock in order to prevent or reduce possible damage to the equipment. Such vibration and shocks may have a number of causes. However, the most serious are shocks and vibrations caused by seismic activity, such as earthquakes and tremors.
A number of cushioning or dampening devices are known that attempt to reduce or eliminate shocks and vibrations of this type. U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,559, entitled xe2x80x9cSeismic Isolation Device,xe2x80x9d for example, describes a number of relatively complex mechanical arrangements for isolating portions of machinery for protection from shocks and Unfortunately, devices such as these often require significant amounts of maintenance and upkeep.
The devices and systems of the present invention provide resilient shock absorbing pads that fully support ground contacting portions of machines, equipment or other loads and, thereby, provide protection from shocks and vibration. In exemplary described embodiments, the pads provide cushioned recesses that receive the ground contacting portions of a load, such as a base plate. The pads are square-shaped and are substantially formed of a resilient shock and vibration absorbing material, such as elastomer. It is particularly preferred that the pads be fashioned from compression-molded crumb rubber that is readily available from recycled tires. The pads also include structures, such as recessed portions or an upwardly extending rigid dowel, that help to stabilize a load.